There may be little that can be done in terms of controlling factors such as war, and the price rises it brings, yet cask can have a positive future providing we steer clear of one-size-fits-all solutions.
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For example, it’s easy to say cask needs a rebrand or an image change but harder to come up with one that works universally.
Certain colours or themes might appeal to one group but turn off others and, in any case, there’s a sizeable cohort of existing cask drinkers who don’t need converting and whom we don’t want to put off.
The usual preoccupation of campaigns to boost cask is recruiting younger drinkers but the middle-aged are likely to be with us for some time so let’s not underestimate the importance of keeping their custom.
Gatekeepers of cask
Regardless of who’s buying, and from both sides of the bar, everyone invested in cask ale wonders and/or worries about its future.
When I spoke to Luke Raven who is both a brewer at Ilkley Brewery and licensee of his own pub, the Ilkley Tap (which opened in 2024), I asked him if he thought the future of cask could be rosy. The answer partly remains the same as ever – quality is the key – but that keen pricing is also a variable.
“Publicans, as they have ever been, are the ultimate gatekeepers [of cask ale] and their understanding of the nuances of the category, and ability or desire to treat it as a special case, are the ultimate decider in whether or not it will be a success in any particular bar,” said Raven.
He continued: “We all know that there is a finite life in terms of cask beer tasting great, and the burden of managing that depends ultimately on footfall to any given pub, and the publican’s management of what products [they stock], how many and their pricing.”
Using his own pub as an example and comparing it with another in his area where he was drinking one evening, Raven said well-kept ale means more customers but price also has a role to play.
Maintaining throughput
“When we first opened, there wasn’t suddenly a significant additional number of cask ale drinkers in town. Our principle is that quality and freshness is paramount, so we price our cask ales very reasonably in order to maintain throughput.”
At the time, a comparative pub sold a 3.4% ABV cask pale ale for £6.40 a pint while an equivalent beer at his pub cost £4.20. On a Thursday night when he was in the other pub, it had about eight customers, all drinking a cheaper keg beer. On that same night, his pub managed to sell more than 300 pints of cask ale.
“The principle is basic, we’d rather sell two pints to each person and keep the beer flowing and fresh than sell the occasional pint at a higher price and risk the beer going off.
“Yes, our margins are lower on cask beer than perhaps we’d like, but 75% of nothing is nothing. I’d rather 65% of something.”
It won’t be the answer for all licensees but it’s interesting to hear some pragmatic reasoning instead of wishful thinking.
When it comes to keeping cask ale out of the doldrums, perhaps the answer is akin to the variety of beer recipes and styles.
There are multiple possibilities and we should be looking for a suite of methods – not a catch-all solution.
